Moonshine
by Shinzoku
Summary: You know, things don't get pretty when another eevee ends up moving in across the street, and takes up just about the same job as you. Rivals? Sure. Going to rip that stupid fluff ball in half? Definitely. Made up semi-gijinkaverse.
1. Chapter 1

Two small hands patted his cheeks. He rolled over, groaning, pulling the quilt up over his head as he curled his legs up to his chest and his tail around his leg. The lights overhead came on, he heard the window curtains being pulled open, and something was set on the nightstand behind him a few minutes later.

Ribbons wrenched their way under his blanket and started to yank it out of his hands. Huge blue eyes shined down at him, blank and rather devoid. The creepiness he found was only broken by the cheery smile on the young man's face.

He sighed, narrowing his eyes up at the ceiling fan. "It's too early for this, Simon."

The young man clicked his tongue. He gestured to the tray on the nightstand and patted the man with his ribbons, urging him over to the berry soup.

With a sigh, he pulled himself up, and swung his legs off the bed. He hunched over, sipping at the bland mixture with the spoon provided, listening as his brother rustled around the room. Drawers were pulled open, the wardrobe sifted through, he even watched the boy stand at the mirror, brushing out his hair, before turning and setting a bunch of items on the bed.

"I don't have to go to bed for a while, right? It's only nine, but, you have to get up. Remember, you have a job, Moonshine!" He smiled brightly at the man, who only sighed back at him.

"You say this every evening, I get it. You've said it since I got a job, dude."

"I know. We gotta keep you excited for it."

Again with that empty sylveon stare. He shifted away from the kid, sipping his soup straight from the bowl now. In retaliation, Simon jumped up onto the bed, grabbed at his tail, and started to brush it out. Moon flinched.

"Don't do it so rough."

"I just want you to look nice and pretty, you know. Oh, hey, you know? I've been meaning to ask and I just remembered, you're just an eevee yeah? How come you stay up all night, I never stayed up all night."

Moon stared at a piece of toast after putting his bowl down. He yanked his tail away, positive he pulled out some fur as well, and stood up, throwing off his t shirt and grabbing his button up. He didn't answer for a few minutes, not till his hair was neatly parted and he had washed his face in the bathroom.

He stood at the mirror, adjusting his collar, when Simon came bouncing up behind him, and peeking out at the mirror. "So you going to answer me or what?" he asked.

"Okay, okay, fine. You know our parents were umbreon. I was raised by them, and so I was raised to be nocturnal, and I will probably continue on to be an umbreon as well." He raised a tan eyebrow, glancing down at Simon's reflection. "Or maybe an espeon. I'm not interested in the other evolutions."

Simon stuck out his bottom lip. "What, you don't like me?" he asked.

Moon reached down and ruffled Simon's hair, earning a laugh from the boy. "Of course I like you. I'm not interested in evolving into the other evolutions, but that doesn't mean I don't like them as people, alright?" He turned and got his work pants on, then his boots, and headed out of the room. Simon followed and together they went across the kitchen, through the living room, and down a flight of stairs.

The sylveon helped pull down all the chairs from the table, his tail wagging the whole time. He even hummed a song. Moon went over behind the bar, flicking on the lights, and inserting a cd into the player. It wasn't loud music, nor was it heavy, but at the same time it wasn't boring. It was more, what did Black City call it back in the day? Pop? It was pop, indie, stuff like that. Stuff he liked.

The patrons seemed to enjoy it too. There were, at least, no complaints.

He sat there for about half an hour, drinking some coffee that Simon brought him, and staring out the door. Twist City always teemed with life, no matter the time of day. It was what made being nocturnal feel more natural. In some cities, he had heard, most of the night was quiet and rather devoid of life, especially when it came to the City of Origin or Bell City.

Simon gave him a thumbs up when all the chairs were pulled out and the tables wiped off for good measure. He then went and adjusted some of the pictures on the walls, ones of old friends, neighbors, common patrons, one of the statue that had previously been in the city. What was it? He couldn't remember the name. It was a large, stone statue, with moss growing on its shoulders and feet.

Hell, he couldn't even remember what happened to it. He heard that a few weeks ago, just a few days after they had all been inexplicably able to turn into these weird, animal-like forms, it had just...gotten up and left, around mid day. Simon had seen it, but Moon could only just shrug.

There was also a picture of three old men in the corner, above the couch. He wasn't sure where that one came from, but he did know the one in the middle. A tall one, tallest of the three, with a really bad fake tan, and ridiculous hair. He remembered "boy, it's not a fake tan, stop being rude, or I'll ditch you right here," but exactly who it was? Couldn't remember. It was such a long time ago, ten years?

Moon set his cup down and started to tap against the counter. He blew up to dislodge a misplaced lock of tan hair from his eye.

"Moonshine, when are you going to open? Don't you open around this time?"

He tapped the counter a bit harder. Simon turned the stool from the bar and looked out into the street. He turned to give Moon a confused look, one brow raised, his ribbons wiggling in confusion.

"Moon, what's up?"

His tail whipped from side to side. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Nothing," he said, picking up his cup to drink again. "Go to bed, alright? It's getting late, and if you get up early enough, we can hang out after work, alright?"

A grin spread across Simon's face. "Really?" he asked.

"Really." Moon smiled at him. "Go on. We'll get my dinner, your breakfast, at the diner."

"Yes! I love that place, okay." The sylveon reached across the counter to give Moon a hug before jumping down from the stool and disappearing back upstairs.

When all was quiet, Moon let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a whimper. He got up and maneuvered around the tables and chairs, propping open the door. Warm air billowed into the cool room, and for a moment he was content to just stand there with his face against the wind. But he couldn't for long. He flipped the sign to open and took his usual spot back at the counter, sipping a second cup of coffee that had...wait.

He looked over at the stairs, where a pink tail just so happened to disappear a moment later. He shook his head in exasperation and turned up the volume on the music. In twenty minutes a few usual customers started to filter in, and he got them set up with their drinks.

This was what he was used to. Staying up all night, chatting it up with the dozens of people that made their way through every few hours. He was content to do this, to spend all his time mixing drinks and forgetting his childhood, or what he had of it. Things were better now, he need not think of that, and every time someone came up to the counter to ask about how his evening was going, he gave them a warm and friendly smile.

Though, there was one particular pokemon that caught his eye. They stepped through the door with a strange air to them, looking around with sparkling eyes as if they were new. They had to be new.

Moon's brow furrowed as he poured a drink for someone. He almost over filled it, but the woman he was serving gingerly took the glass away from him, which was enough to snap him out of it and set the bottle down. "S-sorry," he muttered.

"Oh it's no problem," said the lucario, batting her hand at him. "Just didn't want you to waste anything is all. Thank you."

As she left, he leaned to the side a bit to keep an eye on this new person. They looked around for a few moments, introducing themselves to a few of the other patrons, offering them a handshake. Moon's eyes only narrowed.

"Moon, what's up?" he remembered Simon asking. His fingers started to tap at the counter again. That image was burned in his mind, that one pokemon that had stood out front, across the street, waving at Moon from in front of a building that was long abandoned when no one was willing to buy it years ago.

Keeping himself busy, Moon turned and grabbed a few bottles from a crate below to set on the counter. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the person, and after getting a closer look at them, he almost stopped dead in his tracks. Like him, they sported a fluffy brown tail, tan hair, and large raised eyebrows.

They grinned at him and came on over, holding their hand out in greeting. Moon raised an eyebrow, but took it anyway, giving it a firm shake.

"Man, I didn't know I'd be living next to another eevee!" the man said with glee. He looked, well, strange wasn't how Moon would put it. He was rubbing his hand against a pair of blue jeans, which were partially obscured by a brown suit jacket. His hair? A mess. He'd never seen an eevee with such messy hair as this, and he could feel his jaw clench up.

Moon took a deep breath. "Yes, hello," he said, forcing a smile. He hoped it looked genuine, he wasn't so great at those. "Welcome to the Moonlight Bar." He pulled his hand away and gestured around to the wood paneled interior, booths, and tables set up throughout the room. "Is- is this your first time? Don't think I've seen you around before."

The other eevee laughed. He took a seat on a stool, interlaced his fingers, and rested his chin on top of them. "Nah, I'm totally new. I actually moved in this morning, got everything all set up across the street. I'm planning to open up a little shop there once my stock comes in, but since it's coming from Bell City, there's going to be quite the wait! Oh, geeze, I'm so mean, forgive me. What's your name, if I may ask?"

He pulled at his collar, reaching around for a bottle to at least get him something. If he didn't want it, he'd drink it himself. "Everyone here just calls me Moon, it's alright. Moony, Moonmoon, Moonlight, any variation thereof."

"Oh?" The eevee seemed surprised, his eyebrows rising just a little higher than what seemed normal for him. "Interesting."

"Why?"

"No reason!" He batted a hand, taking the glass that Moon handed him.

"...okay. Where are you from? You're accent says you're not even from the island."

"Nah, nah." The eevee shook his head, wrapping his fingers around the glass. "I'm from the City of Distortion, actually. Weird enough things have been happening there that- uh, Moon, y'all right?"

Moon blinked. His brow must have been raised and his eyes wide, and it took a moment of close his eyes and taking a deep breath for him to look back with a smile. "Of course I am. I've just—that's a very strange city to be around, I've heard."

The other sighed so deeply that Moon could feel it in his bones. He took a long drink, his tail hanging limp. "It was considered a safe city," he said, "but over the past two months it's just gotten...all strange. I can't even describe it, can you even describe a city of distortion? I know I couldn't."

All he could do was nod at the other eevee. He smiled to a persian that came up and filled their glass, apologizing for how shaky he seemed to be. The other eevee was giving him a rather...confused look.

"Uh, anyway," the eevee said as the persian left, "you've got a nice little bar here, you know! Almost as great as the one I used to go to at home, run by a nice lopunny. She was good at that, man."

"I bet."

"It's also pretty cozy in here, I'm really enjoying the music, too, you have good taste!" The eevee grinned at him, and it was such a stunning grin that it caught Moon off guard. "But, you know, I'd hate to waste all your time, you have others to talk to as well! Here's money for the drink, thank you. I should be off now."

Moon nodded, and reached out to his outstretched hand again to give it another firm shake. "Nice to meet you, uh..."

They stood up, winking. "Call me...Sun." He withdrew his hand, shoved both in his pockets, and turned around to head out the door. He was fast, moving around the tables with a grace Moon would have expected from, say, an arcanine. "Have a good night, Moon! We shall see each other again."

What the fuck was this, a novel? A movie? A cheesyass comedy? Moon stood there with his hands held out in front of him, brow furrowed, and mouth slightly agape.

"Oh man, who was that?" The lucario came up to the counter now, giving her glass a little shake.

"You know—I...I'm not even sure," Moon said as he poured moonshine into her glass. "Like, uh, he just kind of...came in. Says he moved in this morning. You wouldn't know him, Wanda?"

She shook her head, crossing one leg over the other. "Perhaps you'll shall out soon, looks like he resides in the apartment across the street." She looked over her shoulder and Moon leaned to the side to see the eevee escape into the front door of the formerly abandoned building. "Pretty...uh, interesting, if I do say so myself."

Moon scowled. "He didn't even tell me what he was selling."

"Well, whatever it is, we're bound to find out soon, no?" Wanda rested her elbow against the counter and her free arm across her lap. "I should get going soon as well, though, I promised Ralph I'd be home before midnight this time."

"Does he not think you can live your own life?"

"Oh no, this was a promise I made myself because I have to stop staying out so late." She started laughing and then got up, handing over the money. Her blue hair fell behind her in beautiful curls, and if Moon wasn't mistaken, she could have been a queen. "You have a good night, kid."

He raised a hand to wave a little bit. "Yeah, you too."

She snorted on her way out. "Just be careful of Ralph! I could hear him shouting from a mile away, he's bound to be here soon."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. Good luck, Moonshine."

Closing his eyes, he shoved aside a few empty bottles and held his head in his hands.

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: Amazing, I haven't posted anything here on in forever. I guess I just got out of writing longer stories. I hope I can keep this one on track, but, honestly? It's just a ridiculous sort of slice-of-life thing, I guess? I don't know''. I hope you all enjoyed, and maybe I can get another one out soon.


	2. Chapter 2

God he hated this thing. Why did he wear it? Well, okay, he knew why. It was a gift to him from that man a long time ago, the one with the fake tan. But he had always felt compelled to wear it, despite the obnoxious jingling in his ears.

And it only became more prominent when he couldn't stuff it down his shirt. In these new forms, being all tiny, not even a foot tall, with nothing but neck fluff, there wasn't a single place he could shove the bell where it wouldn't make noise. Pokemon could hear him coming from a mile away, and some even snickered at him, like, look at that little eevee wearing that bell. And at night? When most were asleep? Forget it, everyone was staring at him.

But at least now he had closed the bar after a long night of work to relax. Usually he shut it down early for some personal activities (some a bit...questionable), and this morning he was going to spend it at the beach. It was easily his favorite place to be.

Feeling the sand against his paws was beautiful. The entire city was covered in sand, it was coastal after all, but there was nothing like setting foot—or paw—against the cool terrain, and listening to the ocean rock against the shore.

He carefully picked his way across the beach, watching out for any of the number of krabby and marril that happened to live there. About a quarter of a mile away was the house of a lapras, but what she did he wasn't too sure. Something about helping out with the local Marrowak Dojo? He shook his head, which, undoubtedly, made his bell jingle even more. All he knew of that dojo was horror stories about the madman marrowak Ralph.

The krabby turned to look at him, snapping their pincers more the closer he got. He raised his eyebrows at them and they scuttled away, back into the foam of the ocean and into crevices between rocks. One went under the sand? Okay. None of them had even bothered to put up a fight.

Taking a deep breath, Moon got himself situated in the sand a few feet from where the tide ended. It went back and forth, in such a soothing manner, it could put him to sleep. Perhaps it was for this reason he often came to the ocean after work, to get himself to fall asleep sooner. Having promised his brother breakfast a few days ago, and staying up an extra two hours, he figured it was a good moment for this. His whole schedule had been skewed.

Moon took a few moments to look at the beautiful moon, and then closed his eyes. A gentle wind tugged at his ears.

"Oh my, here to listen to the ocean? You know, you never quite struck me as a vaporeon."

His eyes snapped open and his fur stood on end. From his left, right up in the water, came another eevee, much more fluffy than Moon could ever hope to be. He bounced around in the water a bit, as if he were a mere child.

"Of course you'd show up. Can't keep yourself away from me?"

"Oh no, I've just never looked at the beach before."

"And you know what?" Moon narrowed his eyes. "You never struck me as a vaporeon either."

Sun laughed and splashed up to be by Moon, his ears sticking straight up. They were so fluffy Moon was honestly intimidated by it. He smiled a bit at first, and then it wavered. "That must be the sound I heard earlier." He reached out, going to touch the bell around Moon's neck, but the eevee yanked away and moved a few feet away.

"Don't touch me."

"Okay, okay, fine, I won't. Why do you wear that bell? That's a soothe bell." He smiled wide. "Doesn't seem to be working much, eh?"

Moon rolled his eyes, moving even farther away now. He sat himself on a smooth, flat rock a few inches above the water level, keeping his ears turned in the direction of the other eevee. Sun seemed to have gotten bored, and went off to splash some more at the krabby crawling back onto the beach.

He finally let out a long, exasperated sigh. "It was given to me."

"Hm? What?" Sun looked up from the water. "What was?"

"Are you fucking dense."

"No, what are you talking about?"

"This!" Moon flailed his head around a bit, the bell going off like mad. Sun started laughing. "Hey, you stop that."

"You act so funny, Moon." Sun threw his head underwater and came up with a seaweed, dragging it out onto the beach for whatever reason. Krabby clung to it. "Who gave it to you? Was it your parents? You have a brother, right? Was it him?"

Moon let out another sigh and adjusted himself on the rock. "It doesn't really matter now does it?" He puffed up his fur against the warm air and closed his eyes. He could feel the moonlight, just like when he was a child sitting on the hill with his parents.

With Sun busy doing whatever he was doing with the seaweed, Moon had time to let his thoughts drift. The roar of the ocean filled his ears. He settled himself down and stretched his legs back, resting his head on his front paws. Just a little while of rest, and he would be ready to go back home. He didn't want to leave the beach yet. Since getting here ten years ago, it was where he came for solace. Peace. Quiet.

Except right now. He was shaken out of his doze by someone fiddling with his ruff of fur. One of his eyes snapped open and he came face to face with Sun, who was way too close for comfort.

Moon jumped up, yanking himself away, and tumbled off the rock, right smack into a puddle of ocean water.

"What the hell?!"

Sun poked his head over the side, smiling. In his mouth something jingled and Moon narrowed his eyes, paws drawn against himself.

"What is that?"

"It doesn't really mater right now, does it?" Sun asked, angling his ears toward Moon. He let out a 'bui!' sound and jumped over the puddle, rushing off with the bell.

Hauling himself to his feet, Moon shook sand out of his fur as well as he could. He brushed the fur on his head back, whipped his tail to get out the water, and stared at the running eevee. What as his deal? He scowled, reaching up to feel for his bell—but it was gone.

And then it slowly dawned on him.

His fur puffed up. "You get back here you thief!" He kicked off the sand, bounding across the beach, his ears straight up as he listened for the telltale laughter of a child doing something they know they're not supposed to do.

"Where are you!" Moon shouted. "Show yourself!"

He reached the pier. He ducked under and around piles of shellder and cloyster, picking his way across rock and shallow water. The tiny pokemon opened their eyes to look at him, a cloyster even opening its shell to watch.

Moon exhaled deeply through his nose. He managed to find the stairs on the other side and crawled up to the surface of the pier, flicking his head left and right. Left and right. Huffing, he crouched down and scurried down the pier, all the way down to the end, and yet there was no eevee. He could hear the jingling though, it came from his right, from his left, from behind.

Turning around was the worst idea. He was startled by Sun sprinting past him, coming from behind one of the beams. Moon snarled and charged after him, his paws thumping against the wood with the force of a bunnelby, and ears getting pulled behind him.

"I'll report you to the peacekeepers!" Moon shouted, but it seemed his voice was lost to the wind. He went down the stairs, up the beach, over the tide guards, and down an abandoned alley.

When he got to the end, he lost sight of Sun. He perked his ears up and held his tail low to the ground. He was moving with the wind, and so he couldn't pick up a scent.

"Haha, looking for this?" Moon looked up. Sun sat on top of a pile of cardboard boxes, an eyebrow raised. From his claw dangled the bell's string. "I thought it didn't matter?" He gave it a shake.

Moon didn't have time for this. He scooted back and leaped up, giving the eevee the cutest smile he could. It caught Sun off guard and he managed to swipe his bell back. As he landed on the ground, he took it in his mouth again and sprinted down a new street, knowing that he was just a few blocks away from his home.

Twist City was dark. It was still that lull in the traffic. It should have been dark enough for Moon to make his quick escape, crawling through a few small spaces, but when he made a break for the last street, the other eevee came up beside him.

"Wh—"

"What, thought you could escape me that easily? My father was a Jolteon." Sun rammed into him, shoving him up against the wall. He grabbed the bell back, pushing ahead and into the night.

All Moon could do was slow down until he stopped in front of the bar. He flopped down and rested his head on his paws, taking as deep gulps of air as he could to catch his breath.

Sun sat in front of his shop, swishing his tail back and forth. At his feet was the bell and on his face was a smile. He kicked it across the street, and it rolled to a stop a few feet away from Moon. He scooped it up, pulling it up to his chest.

"You should rest, you know? It doesn't seem like you get enough sleep." Sun was purring. He was one of _those _eevee.

"I get sleep just fine, asshole." Moon placed his paw over the bell and when he shifted up to his altered form, picked it up, stood up, and put it back around his neck. "Don't show up around me again, you hear?"

"Oh, of course, but aren't we going to be business partners?"

He snapped his head to the left to take a good look at Sun. "What."

Sun shrugged. He stood up and turned toward a flap on his door. "Nothing. Perhaps...rival is the best way to put it." He laughed, disappearing.

Twenty minutes passed before Moon bothered to go inside. He turned to the door with creaking knees and made his way up the stairs. Through one of the windows in the living room he saw the sun starting to rise above the ocean. It was beautiful. The rising sun always left him with a deep feeling of awe, like something he'd never get to see again.

"Simon, it's almost seven." He knocked on his brother's door, listening to the groans that filled the air. "You have lessons today, remember? It's Monday."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Moon nodded. In his room, he shut the black out curtains, pulled off his shirt and pants, switching to his pajamas, and flopped face first into his bed. A book nearby was open to chapter twelve, and when he rolled over to pick it up, it was where he continued to read. He even turned on the lamp.

He'd have to keep an eye on Sun, he decided. Business rivals...? He shook his head to clear his thoughts, for now he was reading his book. A good book. One he'd had with him since he was a child.


End file.
